Task One ~ Reviewing Interactive Journalism projects.

My favourite piece of interactive convergent journalism would have to be Highrise produced by Canada’s National Film board (NFB). This piece digs deep into 2,500 years of history of this building, as well as a number of individuals who lived in the building.

The piece of journalism gives you different options as to what you want to learn about, a brief background to most new ideas, maps and the option to go at your own pace. It includes games, images, videos and text to tell the story, and provides many links to further reading and more information if the reader choses. I think overall this level of interactivity allows for a more personalised experience, and enhances the reader’s knowledge without becoming bored or drained.

The project does not however work as well on mobile as it does on a laptop. On a smart phone, it still works fine but does not have the same effect: It’s slower, and abit too bit small to completely utilise all its features and take advantage of the interactivity.

The project also allows you to visit their blog, as well as giving you the option to share it on social media.

My least favourite would have to be shark and minnow, due to the main fact that is was not as easy on the eye as Highrise is. I didn’t particularly like that you had to keep scrolling and scrolling for what seemed like forever; however the use of pictures and videos was a nice touch. There also wasn’t many different links you could click on or much further reading; only what was shown there and then on the screen.